OSHAWA,
June 26, 2003 - With the passing into law
of another ration of an education tax credit, and an age-discriminatory
property tax cut for seniors, the most headline-grabbing "wedge issue"
aspects of the Road Ahead platform have already been implemented. Freedom
Party of Ontario Leader, Paul McKeever asks: "Why should anyone vote
for Mr. Eves' party now?".

"Years of experience have taught the red-tory old-boy
nothing. Someone ought to have told the Premier that, if he was
going to try his hand at good-old-fashioned voter bribing,
he was supposed to get the vote first, and give the reward later...or,
if he was more comfortable with it, simply break the promise and blame
9-11", Mr. McKeever says, in jest. "But seriously, this is no laughing
matter. The alleged
"tax-cut"
for
seniors
is not
a tax
cut
at all:
when you
give a tax cut only to some people, without cutting spending to those
people, that's a subsidy, not a tax cut. This is a "subsidy" to seniors,
not a tax cut."

"The same sort of double-speak applies with the education
tax credit", says Mr. McKeever. "On November 16, 2001, the Globe and
Mail quoted Mr. Eves as saying that the education tax credit should
be 'available only to parents whose children are in schools that teach
the curriculum set
out by
the Ministry
of
Education'. The red-tory plan - like the Liberal plan - is actually
choice in schools, without choice in education. It is no secret
that
the Progressive
Conservative
party
is divided
on
this
issue:
the
60%
red-tories,
who
set the agenda,
want
to control curriculum if there are going to be tax credits at all.
The other 40% are biting their tongues. But I don't doubt for a second
that a Progressive Conservative government, after the election, would
impose curriculum requirements on schools that qualify for the tax
credit" warns Mr. McKeever.

"Now, with these wedgies firmly in place," adds Mr. McKeever,
"we can get back down to observing the real Ernie Eves team, characterized
as it is by jarring changes of policy direction".

"Ontario doesn't need another liberal party", says Mr.
McKeever. "We cannot afford to turn our backs on years of government
that does what it says it's going to do, and that consistently does
the right thing in a well planned fashion. I will do what I've said
Freedom Party will do. Mark my words. But, more
than
that,
I would
ask all
sidelined blue-Tory MPPs to join my team."

Paul
McKeever (who will be running in the riding of Oshawa, against
Sid Ryan and Jerry Ouellette) is available to discuss this matter
today. You can
contact
him
directly at ***-***-**** (cell).

Freedom
Party is expected to run candidates in approximately half of Ontario's
ridings in the coming election.